August 31, 2005

Stray Thoughts from Don Alejandro

Judge Answers Question about Whether Commanders Knew of Abuse at Abu Ghraib

From Guardian article, N.Y. Judge Hesitant on Abu Ghraib Photos:

The judge said he recognized the pictures might be useful to the public as it answers questions about the prison scandal, including whether those in command knew about the abuse and how extensive it was.

Hmmm....  While I can easily imagine how photos could answer the above question with a big "yes, commanders knew,"  I can't think of any way that photos could show that no commanders were aware of the abuse.

In other words, if no commanders are visible in photos it doesn't necessarily mean they weren't aware of (or ordering) the abuse, whereas photos showing that one or more commanders were present during abuse sessions would prove some commanders were, at minimum, aware of the abuse. 

In saying that the photos "answer the question about whether those in command knew about the abuse," the judge can only be saying, "yes the photos show that some commanders knew."